Global Seaport Directory
Search and explore 14,000+ seaports across 220+ countries and all major shipping zones
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You can download the entire dataset of 14k seaports.
The World’s Most Comprehensive Free Seaport Directory
The Global Seaport Directory is the most complete freely accessible database of seaports on the internet, covering every significant commercial port, terminal, and maritime hub across all seven continents and 33 international shipping zones. Whether you are a freight forwarder looking up a UN/LOCODE, a logistics manager planning a new trade lane, a student researching global maritime infrastructure, or simply curious about where in the world cargo moves — this directory gives you instant, searchable access to the data you need.
What Is a Seaport?
A seaport — also called a sea port, harbor, or maritime port — is a facility located on a coastline, river mouth, lake, or estuary where ships load and unload cargo, take on fuel and supplies, and embark or disembark passengers. Seaports are the primary nodes of global trade: more than 80% of all international trade by volume is carried by sea, making ports the most critical infrastructure in the world economy.
Modern seaports are far more than simple docking facilities. They encompass container terminals, bulk cargo berths, roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) facilities, liquid bulk terminals for oil and gas, passenger cruise terminals, ship repair yards, customs and inspection zones, warehousing and distribution centers, and extensive road and rail connections to inland logistics networks.
Commercial Seaports
Commercial seaports handle the movement of goods — from raw commodities like iron ore, coal, and grain to manufactured goods in intermodal containers. The largest commercial ports in the world, such as Shanghai, Singapore, Rotterdam, and Ningbo-Zhoushan, process tens of millions of twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of container cargo annually and serve as anchors of global supply chains.
Naval & Fishing Ports
Beyond commercial operations, many ports serve military or naval functions, providing bases for coast guard and naval vessels. Fishing ports — often smaller and more numerous — support local and industrial fishing industries worldwide. This directory focuses primarily on commercial ports relevant to international shipping and trade.
Understanding Seaport Codes (UN/LOCODE)
Every seaport listed in this directory carries a standardized port code based on the United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations system, commonly known as UN/LOCODE. These five-character alphanumeric codes are used universally in international shipping documentation, freight software, customs declarations, bills of lading, and shipping manifests.
UN/LOCODEs are maintained by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and updated regularly to reflect new ports, renamed facilities, and decommissioned locations. They are essential for anyone involved in international freight forwarding, customs brokerage, supply chain management, or maritime logistics software development.
Use the search bar at the top of this page to look up any port by its five-character code, or browse by country and shipping zone to explore ports within a specific region.
Global Shipping Zones Explained
The maritime industry organizes the world’s oceans and coastlines into shipping zones — geographical groupings used by freight carriers, insurers, and logistics companies to categorize trade routes, calculate freight rates, and manage risk. This directory uses 33 internationally recognized shipping zones covering every navigable body of water on Earth.
Africa (6 Zones)
East Africa, West Africa, North Africa, South Africa, Mediterranean coast, and island territories including Madagascar and the Canary Islands.
Asia (6 Zones)
Japan, North China, South China, Singapore & Southeast Asia, and Russia’s Pacific and Eastern coastlines — home to the world’s busiest container ports.
Europe (7 Zones)
Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Southern Europe, Eastern Europe, the Adriatic, the Black Sea, and Russia’s European ports on the Baltic and Arctic coasts.
Middle East (2 Zones)
The Arabian Gulf (including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman) and the Indian Sub-Continent covering India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
North America (8 Zones)
US East Coast, US Gulf, US West Coast, Canada East, Canada West, Mexico, Caribbean, Central America, and Greenland — spanning the Atlantic and Pacific seaboards.
South America & Oceania (4 Zones)
South America East Coast, South America West Coast, and Oceania — encompassing Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Pacific island nations.
Understanding which shipping zone a port falls under is critical for freight rate negotiation, marine insurance classification, and supply chain planning. The Shipping Zone filter in the directory above allows you to instantly narrow results to any of the 33 zones.
Why Seaports Are the Backbone of Global Trade
It is difficult to overstate the importance of seaports to the modern global economy. Every year, merchant vessels carry approximately 11 billion tonnes of goods across the world’s oceans — everything from crude oil and liquefied natural gas to automobiles, electronics, food, pharmaceuticals, and construction materials. Without seaports, international trade as we know it would be impossible.
Employment & Economic Impact
Major seaports are significant engines of employment, generating direct jobs in stevedoring, customs, freight forwarding, shipping agency, warehousing, and port administration — as well as vast numbers of indirect jobs in manufacturing, agriculture, and services that depend on reliable port access to export their products and import their inputs.
Infrastructure & National Strategy
Governments invest billions in port infrastructure because port capacity directly constrains a nation’s export competitiveness. Countries with efficient, well-connected seaports consistently attract more foreign investment, support higher-value manufacturing, and achieve faster economic growth than those with congested or underdeveloped maritime infrastructure.
The Role of the Strait of Malacca
No discussion of global seaports is complete without acknowledging the Strait of Malacca — the narrow waterway between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra through which approximately one-third of global trade passes every year. The ports of Singapore, Port Klang (Malaysia), and Belawan (Indonesia) sit at the heart of this critical chokepoint, processing cargo flows between Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia. Understanding the geography of global shipping zones helps explain why this narrow strait carries such disproportionate strategic and economic significance.
How to Use This Seaport Directory
The directory is designed to be fast and intuitive for all users, whether you are an experienced logistics professional or exploring maritime data for the first time. Here is a brief guide to getting the most out of it:
🔍 Search by Name or Code
Type any port name — such as “Rotterdam,” “Mombasa,” or “Long Beach” — into the search bar for instant live results. You can also search directly by UN/LOCODE (e.g., “NLRTM” or “KELBA”) if you already know the code you need.
🏳️ Filter by Country
Use the Country dropdown to restrict results to ports within a specific nation. The directory covers 223 countries and territories, including many small island states with just one or two ports, as well as major maritime nations with hundreds of listed facilities.
🗺️ Filter by Shipping Zone
The Shipping Zone filter groups ports into 33 globally recognized maritime zones — from “Europe – Northern Europe” to “Asia – Singapore / SE Asia” to “North America East – Gulf (US).” This is particularly useful when planning trade lanes or researching freight options across a broad geographic region.
📍 Coordinates
Every port entry includes precise latitude and longitude coordinates. These can be used in mapping applications, logistics software, distance calculators, and port approach planning tools to pinpoint the exact location of any listed facility.
Frequently Asked Questions
Explore More on Strait of Malacca
The Global Seaport Directory is part of StraitMalacca.com — a comprehensive resource on the world’s most important maritime chokepoint and its role in global trade and geopolitics. Explore related topics below.
Global Seaport Directory — StraitMalacca.com · Data covers 14,268 ports across 223 countries and 33 shipping zones · Updated 2026
